So, I know they have divided the old HE in several minifactions that seems unplayable with maybe only two choices and maybe not even heroes to go with.

The Dark elves also seem to have been divided in several mini-factions, and all in all it looks a lot like faction of factions which should mess up any of those benefits between units of the same faction that seem to be so important now.

But what about Wanderers? They seem to have a proper amount of units at least, even if GW kicked out the coolest WE unit, the wardancers.

Noting that I haven't actually played any games, so this is just secondhand and looking at the rules...

While the Wanderers possibly do have the most complete monofaction list of the Aelves, there's not a huge advantage to going monofaction. Wanderers have a battleline unit (Glade Guard) even if you don't have the Wanderers allegiance and there's no benefit from having the Wanderers allegiance except, perhaps, turning Eternal Guard into battleline (don't have the general's handbook, so I'm working off memory here), so you can mix in other aelves, or sylvaneth, into a list using a Wanderer's battleline. This may well be the best way to build a High Elf-like list if you're forced to use current models - use Glade Guard for your core tax and build the rest of your list around them. (Note, though, that an AoS reprint of IoB was made, so Reavers now exist again as a battleline unit regardless of allegiance - so you could make a High Elf-like list using reavers as your 'core tax', or even a mix of Reavers and Glade Guard).

Dark Elves probably have the best options, since they can build a core around their traditional infantry base (swords, spears, RXbows) and then add whichever microfactions seems appropriate.

I have seen a theorycrafted list for competitive use, however, based on monofaction Order Draconis. It basically relies on using two instances of the Dragonlord Host battalion to get a first-turn charge with the Aelven War Horn buff. It's gimmicky and probably not much fun to play against (it feels like something that either succeeds in crippling the enemy army in the first turn or it doesn't), but pretty much anything based on a single microfaction would have to be. I don't know if it's actually been tested or how it went if it was, though.

One thing to note, though, is that Games Workshop seems to be moving away from microfactions and back towards proper-sized army books, so when the aelves get a proper update (rumoured to be later this year, starting with Malerion/Malekith's lot) that will probably change things up a lot. The question is, of course, whether they're going to build on the existing stuff, or leave it twisting in the wind while coming up with something else entirely like they have with the duardin.

I used the different HE lists last week and yes, it sucks that spearmen and swordmasters are not the same 'elf' faction. They are still both 'order' units of course. But it doesn't mean they are unplayable or something.

I don't think there are many microfaction special rules that you NEED to play HE. Sure, an anointed can only affect phoenix temple units with his unique command ability, but you should have at least a unit of phoenix guard or a phoenix if your playing an anointed anyway.

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Tyrion Reaper in a topic about murder wrote:

I would therefore be very careful of ever annoying Caladaidoomblade as he has thought this out and you might go missing without a trace

Looking at the different mini-factions I get the impression that they are not meant to be used as a complete army (unless you're playing sigmarines that is). Most of them consist of only a few units. They are a nice starting point if you want to get into the game. You start with mini-faction X. It's fairly easy to get them complete. And from there you would have to move into new factions if you want a bigger army. And you'd end up with an army build around several mini factions.

Rod

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Eirik wrote:

Please try to remember that, no matter how 'official' the source seems, rumours are basically just a dictionary combined with a random number generator

Looking at the different mini-factions I get the impression that they are not meant to be used as a complete army (unless you're playing sigmarines that is). Most of them consist of only a few units. They are a nice starting point if you want to get into the game. You start with mini-faction X. It's fairly easy to get them complete. And from there you would have to move into new factions if you want a bigger army. And you'd end up with an army build around several mini factions.

Rod

I think there have also been shifts in what GW wanted to do with AoS. When the Grand Alliance battletomes were made, what they seemed to have in mind was essentially having 'modular' armies that stretched between formal factions. Even the Sigmarines were like this to an extent, since the chambers were originally being released as separate books (and at the time, they were doing something similar with 40K...). Now, they seem to be reverting back to one book for a faction that can field a full, reasonably balanced army, but the old rules are still in play for the older factions.

What I think would be useful is bringing back the Highborne and Exiles key-words, and have synergies between these keywords and allegiance benefits for armies that stick within one of these keywords.